Chelsea and Vitesse Arnhem have been cleared of having an improper relationship, the Dutch football association (KNVB) said on Tuesday. The independent probe established no undue influence by the Premier League champions over the Dutch club, to whom they have been regularly loaning players over the past five years. The KNVB had ordered an investigation into the ownership and structure of the club following allegations by former owner Merab Jordania that Chelsea heavily influenced policy at the club. But the association said its investigation had shown no written agreement between the two clubs and all loan agreements had been arranged…
Author: David Folami
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is targeting an unprecedented fifth Ballon d’Or award in Zurich on Monday, with the Argentine heavily favoured to reclaim the prize from three-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Brazil striker Neymar, who plays alongside Messi at Barca, is also in the running to be crowned world player of the year after he was included on the three-man shortlist for the first time. Messi and Neymar, along with overlooked Uruguay star Luis Suarez, formed a formidable front three that propelled Barca to five trophies in 2015, including a second Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey treble in…
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique like his Bayern Munich counterpart Pep Guardiola will be noticeable by his absence at Monday’s Fifa-backed Ballon d’Or awards ceremony. Enrique announced Saturday he would skip Fifa’s annual ceremony in Zurich despite his star player Lionel Messi being the hot favourite to be crowned Player of the Year. “I won’t be going,” the Barca boss announced after Messi’s hat-trick-inspired 4-0 drubbing of Granada in La Liga. Enrique, who guided the Catalan giants to five titles in 2015, is on the shortlist for coach of the year along with Guardiola, who is in Qatar at Bayern’s winter…
Bayern Munich flew off to their annual winter training camp in Qatar on Wednesday amid more controversy over their choice of venue. Politicians, human rights campaigners and their own fans have all criticised the Bavarians for choosing Qatar which has been widely criticised for its treatment of migrant workers. The Bundesliga champions and current leaders were visiting Qatar, one of the wealthiest countries in the world which is preparing to host the Fifa World Cup in 2022, for the sixth year in a row. “Apparently, nothing has been learned. Bayern are travelling to Qatar again, as if there were no…
The FA Cup still holds the same allure for Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech as he embarks upon his quest for a fifth success in the 145-year-old competition this weekend. A four-time FA Cup winner with Chelsea, Cech is hoping to help Arsenal win the FA Cup for the third year running — a feat last achieved by Blackburn Rovers between 1884 and 1886. With Arsenal top of the Premier League and chasing a first league title since 2004, they could be forgiven for wanting to manage their resources, but Cech only has eyes for Saturday’s home game with Sunderland. “I…
Manuel Pellegrini faces an FA Cup selection dilemma at Norwich on Saturday as he attempts to keep Manchester City on track in four competitions. Pellegrini has indicated the FA Cup is bottom of his priority list in the midst of a testing January schedule that consists of a minimum of seven matches, and potentially as many as nine. City’s manager has even gone as far as to suggest that his side will struggle to find time to play all of their fixtures if they reach the finals of all three cup competitions. A run in the Champions League is a…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admitted his side needs to improve and cope with the pressure of performing at Old Trafford after they scraped to a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United in the FA Cup. Van Gaal’s side looked as though they would be taken to a third-round replay by their third division opponents before Wayne Rooney scored the winning goal with an injury-time penalty. Before Rooney scored, after impressive substitute Memphis Depay was tripped by Dean Hammond, United were staring at a sixth 0-0 draw in their last 10 home games. Many of the home supporters showed their…
Watford manager, Quique Sanchez Flores remains calm over transfer speculations surrounding his Nigerian charge, Odion Ighalo. Ighalo had a barnstorming 2015 in which he netted 30 goals, more than any player in England’s top four divisions. The Super Eagles striker has also netted 14 league goals this season, a tally only bettered by Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Everton’s Romelu Lukaku. He has understandably attracted interest from a whole lot of admirers as a result with Atletico Madrid and Manchester United mentioned amongst his pursuers. The striker even stated this week that a move to Manchester United “would be a…
Wayne Rooney’s stoppage-time penalty spared Manchester United from an embarrassing goalless draw as they edged third-tier Sheffield United 1-0 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. United looked destined for an unwanted replay until Rooney struck in the 93rd minute after a foul on substitute Memphis Depay. It was only the second shot on target that United had mustered, against a team 47 places below them in the English league system, and it is unlikely to save manager Louis van Gaal from criticism. United’s fans made their feelings plain with mocking applause whenever their team registered an effort at…
Manuel Pellegrini says Manchester City’s 3-0 stroll against Norwich in the FA Cup third round proved they have a burning desire to achieve the quadruple this season. Pellegrini’s side remain on course for success in the FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and Premier League after Saturday’s emphatic victory at Carrow Road. A sublime strike from Sergio Aguero opened the scoring before Kelechi Iheanacho and Kevin de Bruyne completed the scoring to underline the City’s progress. “If you want to have a winning mentality and an ambitious mentality, then you must be involved in all the competitions until the end,”…
Kelechi Iheanacho put in a supreme performance capped by a wonderful goal as Manchester City defeated Norwich City 3-0 in a third round FA Cup game on Saturday. Iheanacho was handed a rare start in the absence of the injured Wilfried Bony and the 19-year-old grabbed his chance with aplomb. He was full of running from the early moments when he fired a fierce shot from an acute angle in the ninth minute which the Norwich goalkeeper, John Ruddy did well to push onto the roof of the net. Iheanacho forced Ruddy into another excellent save in the 27th minute…
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric believes Saturday’s 5-0 drubbing of Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga in Zinedine Zidane’s debut as coach shows the former Real and France great is the right man for the job. Modric, a Croatia international, said he was sorry for Rafa Benitez, sacked and replaced by Zidane last week after less than half a season in charge, but that somebody had needed to pay the price for an indifferent run of results. Gareth Bale netted a hat-trick and Karim Benzema scored twice at a festive Bernabeu, united in hailing their hero Zidane, as third-placed Real…
Two persons suspected to be agents of one of the political parties involved in Saturday’s supplementary governorship election in Bayelsa have been arrested for allegedly snatching a ballot box. Reports have it that the suspects were arrested by soldiers at Otuokpoti Unit 1, Ward 2, Ogbia Local Government Area, where the box was allegedly snatched. The suspects were said to have forcefully carried the ballot box while polling was ongoing at the unit. The incident caused pandemonium at the unit but after the suspects were taken away, accreditation and voting resumed. An Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official in the…
Saturday’s governorship supplementary election in Bayelsa recorded impressive turnout of voters in most units in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area where the exercise is being conducted. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that as early as 7.45 a.m., voters had queued in polling units in some of the wards, waiting for accreditation and voting to begin at 8 a.m. as directed by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). With adequate presence of security personnel and electoral officials, the exercise began peacefully at all the polling units in Anyama Primary School, Anyama-Ijaw, Ward 2, at 9.30 a.m. The exercise was also…
There are reports that a fake official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been arrested in the Bayelsa Supplementary polls on Saturday, January 9, 2015. According to a report by Nation Newspaper, security agents arrested the fake INEC official at Famgbe area in Yenagoa. The fake INEC official, who reportedly made a confessional statement after been apprehended, was reportedly hired to help rig the election in the area. The culprit also reportedly indicted some government officials during his confessional statement. In other news, two people were reported dead while 12 were seriously injured with bullet wounds in some…
Ahead of the the Senatorial poll rerun for Anambra Central District, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Ekwunife has defected to the All Progressives Congress. Ekwunife, who was declared the winner of the senatorial election in the district in the March 28, 2015 general election, noted that she decided to join APC to complete her contract and promise to her consituency. Ekwunife defected to APC on Friday, January 8, 2015 as she prepares to run against her opponent in the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Umeh. Speaking on the defect, Ekwunife said, ”It’s better now for me…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday said attacks by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the war against corruption being waged by President Muhammadu Buhari led-administration were futile. This is contained in a statement released in Abuja by APC’s Assistant Director (Publicity), Mr Edegbe Odemwingie. The statement said that the party was aware of the plot by PDP and its agents to stampede and blackmail anti-corruption agencies over ongoing corruption cases. “In three orchestrated press statements issued on Friday, Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu and Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose, among others, alleged plans by the APC…
The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi, Dr Peteru Inunduh, on Saturday said that there was no case of Lassa fever in the hospital. In the same vein, his counterpart at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Prof. Abraham Malu, said the hospital had yet to record any case of Lassa fever. The directors, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi, said that they were on the watch out, following the recent outbreak of the disease in the country. Malu said that although the hospital had received a…
Fielding questions from reporters about his recent visit to the Presidential villa, Olusegun Obasanjo said he went to give President Buhari the report of his Guinea trip. Speaking recently, he said “He appointed me as his envoy to Guinea Bissau, so I needed to see him to discuss the issue of Guinea Bissau and other national matters.” When asked about the perceived lopsided nature of the President’s appointments, Obasanjo said “I am reasonably satisfied with his performance so far, and I can’t see any reason that will make me raise any alarm at this time.” Adding that “I made inquiries…
Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in his Independence Day speech to Nigerians, has urged the present government of Muhammadu Buhari, to do everything within his powers to make sure that corruption is kicked out of the country for good. Obasanjo noted that if the malaise is allowed to continue to fester, it is capable of derailing the nation and plunge it deeper into the doldrums. In the statement, Obasanjo said: “Corruption must not have a resting place within our society, we must kick corruption out because it destroys almost everything. I am not talking about corruption of money, corruption of…